The Court of Appeal in Abuja has discharged politician and media
owner, Raymond Dokpesi and his firm, Daar Investment and Holding Company
Limited, of the charges of money laundering breach of Procurement Act
in relation to disbursement of the N2.1billion meant for arms purchase
while Col Sambo Dasuki was the National Security Adviser (NSA) in 2014.
In
two unanimous judgments on Thursday, a three-man panel of Court of
Appeal upholds the two appeals by Dokpesi and Daar Investment and
proceeded to set aside an earlier ruling of a Federal High Court, Abuja,
which rejected the no-case submissions made by the appellants.
Reading
the judgments on Thursday, Justice Elfreda Wiialims-Daudu held the
prosecution did not make out a prima facie case against the appellants
and did not also establish the elements of the offences charge to
warrant the appellants to be called upon to enter defence.
Dokpesi
and Daar Investment were being tried before the Federal High Court on a
seven-count charge of money laundering and breach of Procurement Act by
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
At
the conclusion of the prosecution’s case, after calling 14 witnesses,
Dokpesi and his firm made no-case submissions, which Justice John Tsoho
of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a ruling on November 24, 2018
rejected and ordered them to enter their defence, a decision Dokpesi and
Daar Investment appealed.
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